Soreness, swelling and cracked nipples are harmful to the health of mother and baby as well, on top of it this problem can turn a divine feeling of feeding baby into an irritating affair.
Cracked nipples are mostly caused due to the wrong position of the baby while feeding. Mostly, mothers do not pay much heed to the baby’s head position while breastfeeding, this urges the baby to suck harder to extract milk resulting in bruises or soreness in nipples.
This soreness and bruise can invite the body’s inflammatory response which causes dryness and hardness in the skin of nipples to make them crack.
Other than this, bacterial infection, oral thrush in baby, limited tongue movement of baby, less milk production in mother and too much breastfeeding are other causes of cracked nipples.
Home remedies for cracked nipples alleviate the condition safely and in a short time.
Home Remedies for Cracked Nipples
Proper Breastfeeding Techniques – Treatment for Cracked Nipples
Proper breastfeeding techniques are most effective home remedies for cracked nipples. Mother should hold the baby in proper position so that he can engulf entire upper part of the nipple and suckle conveniently.
Mother herself shall sit in a comfortable position to hold baby still while feeding. Do not try to feed baby by bending over him or turning sideways over him, this normally causes the nipple to slip out of the baby’s mouth which pushes him to suckle harder and causes soreness and bruises.
The best position to feed is to sit down with legs folded and put a pillow over your lap and place baby over the pillow, this will bring him in correct and comfortable position and you will also stay comfortable. These techniques and precautions work as the best home remedies for cracked nipples.
Wait till baby stops suckling, many mothers in a hurry pull out the nipple from baby’s mouth, this can cause soreness and bruises easily.
Baby suckles with some pressure creating a sort of vacuum in his mouth, pulling out nipple in a hurry will cause soreness and if baby is having small teeth or hard gums there can be severe bruises over delicate skin of breasts.
Wait patiently till baby relax the pressure over nipple and gently take it out of his mouth. This practice work as one of the home remedies for cracked nipples which prevents them from occurring.
Application of mother’s own milk is one of the effective home remedies for cracked nipples. Just squeeze few drops out and apply over both the nipples, repeat few times in a day and keep breasts open for few minutes till milk dries out.
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Aloe Vera Gel – Home Remedy to Cure Cracked Nipples
Scrape out fresh aloe vera gel by cutting one leaf of it vertically. Crush it with back of a spoon and make it smooth, apply covering entire nipples and let it stay for few minutes about 10 to 15 and later wash off. Repeat three four times during the day it is one of the safe home remedies for cracked nipples.
Warm-up Natural Treatment to Cure Cracked Nipples
Warm-up before breastfeeding is helpful if you have minor soreness and cracks. Just soak a towel in warm water and wring the excess water out, make sure that towel is bearably warm, cover entire breast area with it and repeat two three times. This softens the skin and also makes suckling easier for the baby. It is one of the best home remedies for cracked nipples.
Apply Ice Packs to Relieve Soreness and Pain
You can also apply ice packs to relieve soreness and pain due to bruises over nipples. But do not apply ice directly, wrap few cubes in a plastic sheet and apply, make the area numb and let it become normal again and apply again. Repeat 5 to 6 times this also works as one of the useful home remedies for cracked nipples.
Holy Basil Leaves – Home Remedy to Treat Cracked Nipples
Take 10 to 12 Holy basil leaves and crush them to form a paste, apply this paste over affected parts and let it stay. Later wash off before feeding session and apply again.
Follow this for a few days till soreness and bruises are gone. This is too one of the safe home remedies for cracked nipples which also works against the problem caused by a bacterial infection or baby’s oral thrush.
Olive Oil – Home Remedy for Cracked Nipples
Apply warm olive oil over the affected area, just let the oil stay and wash or wipe off with wet towel or cloth before feeding session. After breastfeeding wash the affected parts with water and reapply oil. Continue for a few days this is one of the best home remedies for cracked nipples.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Natural Remedy to Treat Cracked Nipples
Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of warm water, bend over the cup and dip affected nipple in the mixture, let it stay for few minutes, repeat for another one too even if you have bruises only in one.
Now go to sink and pour the mixture over both nipples and let the mixture dry out. Repeat this few times in a day to cure the problem and always wash off before feeding.
This too is one of the best home remedies for cracked nipples which can cure the problem occurring due to infection or other reasons.
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